Perdu
by Rezzed Out
Summary: Batb. All Jacques Donovan wanted was a happy family and a steady income. All Belle wanted was to keep her father alive. All he wanted was another chance at love. And no love would ever be as passionate as the love the Beast would feel for his beauty.
1. Prologue

_Mad love for my Beta!_

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Prologue_

"Jean!" The horse's name rang out in the forest clearing as the horse and his rider slowed to a trot. The old man petted his horse's neck. The weather was getting worse by the minute. A threatening mass of dark clouds hung low in the sky and the wind was dancing about ferociously.

The rider frowned and looked to his map again. The sooner he got himself home, the sooner he could break the news to his poor family and be done with it.

After a few minutes of turning the map this way and that, he sighed and admitted what he had known all along. He was lost.

"Jean, we may never find our way back home." He spoke softly and climbed down from the horse's back. The weary old traveler took a few steps in one direction, then turned and took a few steps in the other direction.

He and his horse had been traveling for the past two weeks. Jacques Donovan had been one of the most famous and wealthy merchants of all, once. But to look at him now, one would never have guessed what he had once been. His face was dirty and he was covered in grime and dust from the trail…The trail that he had lost… The trail that was supposed to lead him back to his home – and his family.

The man ran a hand through his greasy silver-grey hair as his thoughts turned to his family. Would he ever see any of them again? Or would they be led to believe that their own father had abandoned them when the times got rough?

He pictured his eldest daughters, Camille and Marguerite, their light blonde hair framing their faces like halos, two pairs of bright eyes, one pair green and the other blue, smiled back at him from his memories. Then came visions of Beau and Belle, his twins. They were darker in countenance, with dark eyes and dark hair. They looked out of place with the rest of them, both Jacques and his wife had been blonde. Belle looked out of place even with her brother sharing the same dark hair and eyes. Her hair was not quite as vibrant, her eyes were not as bright… She had always been a bit…odd.

Odd was the perfect way to describe her. When he had asked what to bring her when he went to town, she had smiled and said, "Only a packet of rose seeds, Father." The others had asked for emeralds and pearls and gowns.

Once, he would have been able to afford these things, but times had changed. The Donovan Family had hit a patch of hard luck, losing nearly all of their riches. And now he would not only be poor, but dead as well, if he could not get out of the foul weather soon enough...

He grabbed the horse's reins and tried to ignore the snow that was beginning to fall. He resumed walking, though at a faster pace than before. He had hoped to avoid bad weather, but he had no such luck. Within minutes, the snow was falling so hard that they could barely see a foot ahead of them.

It was then that he saw it. Up ahead, there was what seemed to be a path. He climbed onto his horse and they set off. The most curious thing happened as they walked along that road. It seemed to get… warmer…

Impossible! The old man reasoned with himself silently. The weather did not vary that greatly in only the space of a few miles. The weather did continue to get better though, and the scenery only grew greener.

Jacques frowned, and sniffed the air. It smelled so... sweet... He took one more deep breath and felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

Jacques awoke the next morning - or what he hoped was the next morning - to the smell of fresh eggs and bacon, and clean clothes sitting on the end of the bed that he had been left in. He ate and dressed quickly, hating the complete silence of this place - not even the tell-tale sign of feet on the stone floor was there to break the silence.

He left his room and began to look around for someone to thank for finding him. It seemed to him that he had searched for hours without finding a soul! He decided finally to give up and went outside, hoping to find Jean. Jean was there, reins tied to a short tree. He untied him quickly and they started on their way.

Jacques was amazed to see the amazing variety of flowers that lined the drive. He recalled almost at once his promises to his daughters. Two wishes would have to be left unfulfilled, but if he could find a rose for his Belle, he would be happy.

He turned the horse down a path and began to look earnestly for a rosebush. He found what he was looking for tucked away in a corner of the garden, and smiled. He picked the most beautiful bloom and turned to go back to his horse.

A monstrous roar filled the air, and Jacques rushed to pull himself into the saddle. He wasn't quick enough though. Something grabbed him by the back of the shirt and tossed him to the ground.

"You dare take a rose from _my_ garden!" It roared. "I _gave_ you comfort, shelter from the storm, and this is how you repay my generosity!"

The merchant was unable to find his voice, he was frightened so. The Beast was the single most terrifying thing that he had ever seen. It was the size of a bear, though a bear would have been much preferable. Almost anything would be preferred when facing the mixture of ram's horns, wolf's snout, and fangs of a rabid dog that stood before him.

"I – I was only thinking of my daughter, Monsieur!" Jacques tore his eyes from the beast, and focused on the rose instead. What would the price be? "Sir, I promised my daughter –my Belle- I'd bring her a - "

"_Silence!_" The Beast roared, grabbing Jacques by his collar and pulled him up, face to monstrous face. "You wish me to let you go?"

"Yes, sir, please!" Jacques moved his feet in the air, anything to get away from the monstrosity that held him, but it was no use. "I'll give you anything I have! Anything! Just let me go free!"

"You are in luck, Monsieur." The Beast smiled. "You have exactly what I need."

"W-what would that be?" Jacques asked, his voice quivering a little.

"It seems that I am very…_lonely…_ I have need of a girl." He laughed harshly. "I will trade you your Belle for your life."

The man paled. His Belle? Give her to this demon? "Never."

"Very well," the Beast snarled as he raised a large paw, preparing to strike. "This might hurt… _a bit…_"

"No! Oh, God, please, no!" Jacques cried out, bravery turning quickly into cowardice. "I'll do it! I'll do it! I – I'll bring her! Just let me go, please!"

"You have my word that she will not be harmed." The Beast sneered, setting him down on his feet. "If you do not bring her back by sunset four days from now, I will find you and your daughter and both of your lives will be mine!"

The merchant could do naught but nod and back away, tears streaming down his face. What a horrid father he was….

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_Please leave me some feedback!_


	2. One

Okay, so it's been a while since my last update. I'm truly sorry, but I've had so much senior stuff going on it's not even funny.

Mad Props to the Mad Hota! (Not that she's mad, she just has crazy betaing skillz)

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I quietly slipped out of the sleeping house. I went to our stable and grabbed the bundle I had prepared the night before, giving Jean one last hug. Although I knew that my feet would hate me for it, I had to travel by foot.

I secured the stable door, turning to face the dark forest. I began walking, not daring to look over my shoulder. If I did, I would never make it beyond the edge of the clearing.

I hoped that Papa would forgive me, but I had to do it. I could not fail my family. They needed him, and it had been all _my_ fault…

The rose that he had picked for me, in exchange for my life now sat lying on his bedside table, with a note begging him not to come looking for me.

I only had a few hours until they would wake and find me gone. I needed to move quickly.

The forest surrounding me as I walked was almost too quiet. The crunch of the snow under my feet was the only sound. I suppose I should have been grateful for that. I would be able to more easily hear Papa's approach.

It was nearly noon before I found the path that I had overheard him telling the rest of the family. They had seen this coming, they knew better than to tell me. They must have known that I would go, whether I had their permission or not. It had been Camille's idea to not tell me, I'm certain. But I _had_ heard them..

They had been arguing… How could I not notice an argument that loud, even if I did sleep in the attic room?

"You can't let her go to him!" Beau cried angrily. "You're the one that picked the flower! You should go!"

"I know, Beau! Don't you think I know that!" Papa snarled. "I'm going!"

"But won't she notice something's wrong when you never come back?" Camille asked, her voice shrill with terror, though I highly doubted that her concern was for me. "She may be ugly, but she's not stupid!"

"I leave two days from today." Papa said firmly. "She doesn't need to know."

"But Papa!" Marguerite cut in, her beautiful voice raised as loud as it could. Almost like she wanted me to hear…

I stopped walking, jolted out of my reverie by a howl coming from nearby. The howl was alarmingly close… I heard it again, and it was even closer.

I began to run, not wanting to meet the creature making that noise. I heard several pairs of paws behind me. I couldn't look back, and I was blind with fright. I didn't notice the white mist until it was too late, and the sweet scent of roses too strong.

I fell to the ground, crawling on my hands and knees a few more paces before my mind slipped easily into a rose-scented darkness.

How ironic it seemed to me then that beasts would claim both my life and my father's when neither of us appeared at the Beast's castle.…

* * *

I slowly eased into consciousness, only faintly aware of the scent of roses and the soft linen pillow against my cheek. I was safe from the wolves, and that was all that mattered. The funny thing was that I could still hear the wolves breathing. Like they were in the room with me… 

I opened my eyes a crack, letting them adjust to the dim lighting of the room. I was in a sitting room, lying on a small bench, with a soft pillow under my head, and my cloak tossed over me like a blanket.

I sat up, my eyes opening wider as I searched the room looking for the creature that had been here only moments before. It had to have been here! I heard it breathing! There was no one – nothing – in the room with me.

I tossed my cloak to one side of the room and stood. The Beast couldn't have vanished that fast. My eyes caught sight of a door and I hurried towards it. I turned into the hall, bumping into something huge. It knocked me off balance and I stumbled backwards, sending a little table and myself to the cold, stone floor. I could hardly see anything. The twinkling of light of the few candles in the sitting room had disappeared, blocked by the massive _thing_ I had bumped into.

"It is good to see you are awake." The Beast – at least, I assumed him to be the Beast – growled.

He moved slightly, allowing a sliver of light to spill into the hallway, and across my face. He only gave me enough light to make-out a shape.

"Oh, Papa…" I whispered, terrified. The Beast was bigger than I had imagined him to be.

"You…your father is nowhere to be found." The Beast said softly. "I'm sorry. I know there were wolves…I found them when I found you."

I snorted quietly in the back of my throat.

"Papa didn't even know that I left, Monsieur." The Beast was silent for a moment before he snarled something in a language that I did not recognize. The fireplace in the room behind him crackled a bit and a fire cheerily began to burn. I stared past the Beast a moment, too scared to look at my captor. I had to do it though. I had to look.

_If not now, when?_

I closed my eyes and raised my head. I took a deep breath and forced my eyes open again. I found myself staring up into his eyes, into his face… I felt my breath catch in my throat.

Papa had only spoken of his size. He didn't know himself that that was not the most horrifying of features. The Beast's face was animal, but his eyes were almost _human. _They could not belong to a…_beast…_

I opened my mouth and screamed. Papa hadn't seen his face, couldn't possibly know how terrifying this Monster truly was. I saw his frightening eyes fill with an extraordinary pain before he closed them and looked away.

"Your room is through that door." He – _it _– pointed. I was unable to look at anything other than the Beast though.

He stood on his two hind legs, as a human would, but he was at least two feet taller than any man that I had ever seen. He was covered in black fur and dressed in black clothing that seemed foreign to me. I lowered my eyes to the floor finally.

"You are frightened of me?" He asked, his voice filled with an unspeakable pain. I pretended not to hear his questions, keeping my eyes on my hands that sat shaking in my lap.

"I –" He stopped. I could feel his eyes on me, studying me. I felt a jolt of sudden fear. Was he angry to have been deceived by my name? I was no match for my sisters; _Belle_ was hardly a name suited to me.

"I would like to welcome you to my home." He said quietly before I heard his footsteps echoing in the hall as he left me alone in the sitting room. It was then that my tears began.

Hours later, the sitting room would be where the Beast would find me, finally asleep and free of the horrible waking nightmare that I had come to know.

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Dun-Dun-Dun!

I'll have an update for you sooner than the last time, I promise! Just leave me a review!

Once again, mad props to mah Beta:hugs teh Hota:


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